A kick-off fundraiser for Orlando Police Chief John Mina‘s campaign for Orange County sheriff brought out Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, and a bipartisan who’s-who of Central Florida political figures Thursday night.

The $250-per-person fundraiser was headlined by Dyer, who appointed Mina to be the city’s police chief in 2014 and has already formally endorsed his sheriff’s candidacy; and Jacobs, who works hand-in-hand with the sheriff’s office, and offered her support to Mina Thursday night.

The two mayors, the top local officials from the Democratic and Republican parties, were joined by more than 60 other elected officials, political consultants, fundraisers, lobbyists and former officials, including the mayors of every Orange County city and most of its towns, at Mina’s kickoff fundraiser at the Dubsdread Ballroom Thursday night.

Mina is facing retired Florida Highway Patrol Chief Jose “Joe” Lopez in the contest for what will be an open Orange County sheriff’s position. Current Sheriff Jerry Demings is running for Jacobs’ job, Orange County mayor. He’ll have to resign, opening the sheriff’s job up for a special election.

Mina is a registered Democrat running as an independent. Lopez is also a registered Democrat and is currently filed to run as such, but is expected to change his status to independent in order to qualify for the ballot.

About The Author

Scott Powers is an Orlando-based political journalist with 30+ years’ experience, mostly at newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel and the Columbus Dispatch. He covers local, state and federal politics and space news across much of Central Florida. His career earned numerous journalism awards for stories ranging from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to presidential elections to misplaced nuclear waste. He and his wife Connie have three grown children. Besides them, he’s into mystery and suspense books and movies, rock, blues, basketball, baseball, writing unpublished novels, and being amused. Email him at scott@floridapolitics.com.